Crisp, cool mornings that felt like fall may have been the case for parts of the Plains, but some afternoons still resembled a different season as temperatures soared.
Sept. 19 was a record-breaking day in many locations, with new records for highs set in Wichita, Kansas; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Childress, Texas, where the temperature hit 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Borger, Texas, also experienced triple digit heat Sept. 19, but that was actually the second day in a row of a daily record high of 100 degrees for that location. Waco and Austin, Texas, also noted record highs earlier in the month on Sept. 15 with highs of 101 and 100 degrees, respectively.
While some experienced rain during the month, it was not notably widespread or persistent. A swath of rain did add up across parts of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. One spot coming in with a beneficial total was Dodge City, Kansas, with 2.05 inches of rain on Sept. 18.
Looking ahead, drought conditions are expected to remain or resurface in the next few months for the northern half of Texas along with western Texas, all of Oklahoma and much of Kansas.
This is also reflected in the outlook for the month ahead. October is expected to be a drier than normal month from Nebraska into most of Texas (the exception being the southeast part of the state).
Southern and eastern Texas are also forecast to experience above normal temperatures during the month.
Unfortunately, the longer-term outlook points toward continued dryness for Texas, Oklahoma and southern and western Kansas through the next three months.
For temperatures through December, Texas into southern Nebraska are forecast to see temperatures above seasonal norms.
Globally, a switch to La Niña is still forecast to occur sometime this fall. La Niña conditions are forecast to remain into the early part of 2025.
I’m always keeping an eye to the sky (and the weather patterns), so watch for next month’s update.
Editor’s note: Regina Bird grew up on a farm near Belleville, Kansas. The views from the farm helped spur her interest in weather. Following high school, she went on to get a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of Kansas. She worked as a television meteorologist for nine years in Nebraska. Follow her on Twitter: @ReginaBirdWX.
